The last two national champions have come from the Big Ten, and yet, Penn State might be heading into the 2025 season with the biggest expectations of any team in the conference. The Nittany Lions might be returning the most talent in the country with Drew Allar, Nicholas Singleton, Kaytron Allen, Dani Dennis-Sutton, and others all forgoing the NFL Draft and returning for their senior seasons.
Still, Penn State’s biggest rivals don't seem scared of the team from Happy Valley just yet, and Saturday’s Blue-White Game at Beaver Stadium showed why.
This is why penn state wont win the title this year, james franklin is still softer than charmin getting into altercations with his own fans. No elite coach does this
— Official Ohio State DG (@DylanEveryday) April 27, 2025
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James Franklin goes back-and-forth with fan at Penn State’s Blue-White Game
It’s not entirely clear from the video, but it appears that a fan was calling Franklin a “fraud” just before he came over to confront them. It’s hard to tell exactly what transpired, but it’s also hard to give Franklin the benefit of the doubt after multiple unfortunate interactions with frustrated fans last season.
James Franklin responded to heckling Penn State fans after the loss to Ohio State: “If you’re gonna be man enough to talk, what’s your name?” pic.twitter.com/kILxOn8UqU
— Seth Engle (@bigsengtweets) November 2, 2024
This is not the first time that Franklin has gone after hecklers, and it’s hard to believe that he’d continue to make this mistake. It’s always a bad look for a head coach to engage with anyone in the stands, yet Franklin seemingly can’t help himself, even at a spring exhibition.
Penn State fans are understandably frustrated with Franklin’s 1-10 record against Ohio State and his continual failure in the biggest games on the Nittany Lions’ schedule. At times there have been boos and even chants of “fire Franklin” but that’s the business at a Power Four school with national title aspirations, and while Franklin has been good enough to warrant those expectations, he’s yet to live up to them. Until he does, he should work on avoiding any back-and-forths with fans.
Yes, this type of behavior makes Franklin look soft. No, it won’t be the difference between Penn State winning the national championship next season or not. However, Franklin continues to give his Big Ten rivals and the sect of the fanbase that wants him gone, more and more ammunition every time he engages a heckler.
Penn State should’ve come out of Blue-White weekend with nothing but positivity, especially after the Nittany Lions added a much-needed wide receiver in Syracuse transfer Trebor Pena on Saturday. Yet, regardless of what was said, Franklin couldn’t help himself, and now opposing fan bases have another reason to doubt “Big Game James.”